- Starting January 1, 2024, The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act will require that a ten-cent ($0.10) fee be added to the purchase of bottled drinks.
- Your WIC juice benefit does not cover this fee and it will need to be paid with a different form of payment.
- You can receive a full refund when you recycle your used juice bottles at a nearby recycling center.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When shoppers buy certain beverages, they pay a California Redemption Value or CRV fee. Shoppers can get CRV refunds by returning clean, empty containers to recycling centers.
A new California law has made changes to the container types that can be charged the CRV fee. Now, all containers of 100% fruit juice and vegetable juice are included.
This new fee applies only to shelf-stable juice sold in bottles. This fee does not apply to frozen or shelf-stable concentrate juice.
You must pay the CRV juice bottle fee to the WIC authorized store at the time you buy any 64 oz bottle of juice. The ten cents ($0.10) fee will be added to each 64 oz bottle of juice you buy.
You can take your clean, empty bottles to a recycling center for a refund of the deposit fee you paid when you purchased your WIC juice.
Visit the CalRecyle website for a list of recycling centers.
You may not always see the 10 cents ($0.10) fee on the bottled juice labels. Bottles filled and labeled before July 1, 2024, are not required to have the $0.10 fee printed on the label.
However, all bottled juice will have a $0.10 fee starting January 1, 2024, even without labeling.
Contact your WIC local office for more information. Find your local WIC office here: WIC Office Search.
You can also contact the CDPH WIC Division State Office:
Helpful Resources
